


Pretty Girl Rock

by Ashapon



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Cheerleader!Au, Climbing Class, M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-02
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-13 19:52:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10520691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashapon/pseuds/Ashapon
Summary: Honestly, they’ve known each other for so long. Chris shouldn’t just be figuring this out now.





	

“Hey, nerd.”

Chris swiveled around in his seat to face a beaming Jessica, her hands clutching her cellphone close to the fabric of her baby blue cami. He’d long since learned that her way of referring to him was more of an endearment than anything else; Jessica was shockingly sweet in spite that her position as head of the cheerleading squad also carried the baggage of the ‘bitch’ stereotype.

“What’s up?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’s up’?” Jessica rolled her eyes playfully. “You comin’ to tonight’s game or what?”

Chris furrowed his eyebrows, actually considered she was joking for a moment. She didn’t wait for his answer and instead plowed through his confusion.

“We’ve got this phenomenal routine, right?” Jessica wiggled her fingers excitedly. “Oh my gosh, you have to come! It’s Friday night, we’ll all hang out afterward.”

“I don’t know,” he chuckled, glancing to the clock. Three minutes until the chemistry quiz. “Josh goes on about how boring I’ll find it. All games are the same, right?”

“Don’t do it for the football, duh,” she joked, leaning down to pull her book out. “Do it for us! Do it for the cheer. It’d totally mean a lot.”

“Yeah,” Chris offered her a quick smile before swiveling around in his seat just as the bell rang. “Okay. I guess I could drop by if it means so much to you.”

Jessica giggled, typing out a brief message.

“I thought you’d wanna do it for Josh, but whatever.”

Chris turned the upper half of his body, raising an eyebrow in Jessica’s direction.

“Why would Josh care if I watched you guys cheer?”

Jessica gave him a look that very much conveyed he was an idiot and, honestly, Chris had no idea why. He didn’t get the chance to inquire further, not when their teacher was calling their attention to the front as she started passing out the quiz.

Josh Washington was his best friend; they’d known each other since the 3rd grade - and sometimes they were completely different people and they worked. They shared plenty of common interest, and would truthfully do anything for each other, but Chris wasn’t oblivious to the fact that he wouldn’t know half the people he did without Josh.

The way that Josh was, he didn’t care how he came off to other people, he socialized with anyone, didn’t actually try to compromise on who he was. Chris respected him more than he could put into words. Josh was someone Chris could goof around with who wouldn’t pretend it didn’t happen the next day.

That in mind, Chris realized he hadn’t ever gone to see his friend play a game. Josh was on the football team and he’d never bothered to drop in? Maybe he didn’t care about that kind of obligation, maybe he knew that wasn’t the kind of environment Chris thrived in?

He hadn’t bothered to consider it until now; and he thought about it the entire day, tossed multiple scenarios around in his head that varied from Josh being completely ashamed of him to, was it even possible, Josh being a terrible football player. Neither seemed likely, no matter which direction Chris’ anxieties tried to push him in.

In the end, Chris convinced himself not to worry about it. He met up with two of their friends, Sam and Ashley, after school and they followed the crowd to the bleachers.

“Is this really your first time seeing a game?”

Chris shrunk under Sam’s gaze a bit and she immediately appeared apologetic. He stared down at his phone, biting his lip, and tapped a swift ‘good luck, I’ll be here after’ message to Josh. He wanted to tell Josh he’d be here sooner, but he knew his friend would try to talk him out of it.

Why was that?

“You know Josh,” Chris managed a smile. “He always says it’s not a big deal.”

Sam hummed in a way that suggested she was only half-satisfied with that answer before the three of them were interrupted by an enthusiastic shout.

“You made it!”

Jessica reached over the railing to snag Chris’ hands, shaking them with vigor. She was wearing the tri-colored cheerleading uniform, her hair twisted in dual braids.

“I said I would, didn’t I?”

“This is so great,” Jessica fists went up in the air before she extended her index fingers toward Chris. “He’s gonna be so happy. He always gets a little nervous about every game.”

Well, Chris supposed that did make sense. The school put a lot of pressure on its athletes.

“I’m sure it’ll be great,” he replied, supportive. “Where is he, anyway?”

Jessica opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly the crowd was roaring and instead she took a few steps back. She mouthed something that looked like ‘Show time’ and lifted her hands in the air again.

The crowd quieted some and she spoke over the din.

“What’s up, Titans?”

The crowd roared in response and Chris reached up to cover his ears, wincing.

“You guys ready to see a win tonight?”

Again, the crowd screamed the affirmative and Jessica clapped her hands together.

“First thing’s first…” a coy smile tugged at her pink lips. “Are you excited for some Titan cheer?”

Jessica’s smile was infectious, Chris found, exchanging a small grin with Sam and Ashley before clapping along with everyone else. Music started blaring from the speakers around them and the hype reached its peak with the appearance of the Los Angeles Titans’ cheering squad.

Roughly a half a dozen male and female cheerleaders stood just outside of the football field, gathering in their formation. Chris spared half of them a look before the cheer began.

It really was impressive; Chris flinched because, half the time, it seemed as if someone was in danger of breaking their spine, but definitely impressive. Jessica was a star, obviously, but he knew that going in.

Halfway through the cheer Sam jostled his shoulder and pointed at a particular member of the squad. He followed her gaze, listening as she spoke directly into his ear.

“There’s our boy,” she sounded like she was imitating a proud mother. “Cool, right?”

Chris squinted. Honestly, he hadn’t been paying attention to any of the others aside from Jessica. The instant his eyes landed on the man in question, they widened and his mouth hung open.

He felt numb for the remainder of the performance, like he switched bodies with someone who was him but not quite. As though he’d ended up in a completely different universe in the span of a few minutes.

In this universe, Josh Washington - his best friend in the entire world - just so happened to be a cheerleader. One of the few male cheerleaders and, by all appearances, the most out-fucking-standing of them.

Josh was worrying his lip beneath a small and entirely wholehearted grin as he pulled off moves and flips and things that had Chris gasping behind his hands.

This was real. He knew that grin. He knew it because it was exactly like the one Josh sent his way whenever Chris insisted he’d be the next big thing in Hollywood.

By the end of the routine, Chris was positive his eardrums had shattered, his hands shaking while the crowd chanted for more. The cheer squad convened in front of them and Josh, beaming, had an arm around Jessica as he whooped and the football players began to file out onto the field. Ashley’s friend Matt among them.

Chris, however, couldn’t help that he was still gaping in his best friend’s direction. He barely registered that Josh and a few of the other cheerleaders were setting up to do a final toss, twist, catch except that Josh didn’t catch and someone else had to when Chris stood up and shouted at the top of his lungs.

“What?”

The crowd around him died down substantially, Sam and Ashley were giving him weird looks and Josh…

Josh met his gaze, instantly mortified regardless of any attempts to conceal it. He recovered faster than Chris, largely because he was being ushered away by the squad, by a Jessica who was shooting him odds glances. Josh dropped his gaze, physically moved behind Jessica and refused to even acknowledge Chris until he was out of sight.

Everyone seemed to forget it happened; a student announced the arrival of the opponents over an intercom system and Chris remained rooted to the spot.

“Uh, Chris,” Ashley nudged his arm cautiously. “Why are you acting like that?”

Chris opened his mouth, closed it and took a deep breath.

“Like what?”

“Like you didn’t know Josh was on the cheer squad,” Sam elaborated, pausing. “You didn’t know Josh was on the cheer squad.”

He pressed his lips together in a thin line, unsure whether he felt angry, betrayed, whatever. Either way, he didn’t trust himself to speak any further.

“How could you not know?” Ashley asked. “Didn’t he mention it?”

It was a sincere and perfectly justified question, but Chris found himself hissing out a put off “I don’t know” before he was making his way down from the bleachers.

The cheer squad was taking a break near the refreshments, Chris heard Josh’s voice above the surrounding conversational tones.

“Are you kidding me, Jess?”

“Don’t get mad at me, Josh,” Jessica huffed, sipping her water. “How is this my fault? You’re telling me you never said anything? Not once?”

“It…” Chris heard Josh struggle for a moment only to come up with a feeble, “It never came up.”

“Don’t play that game with me.”

When Chris peered around the corner, Jessica was shoving her cup of water in Josh’s chest accusingly.

“I’m serious,” Josh frowned. “What am I gonna do? Say ‘Hey, Chris, guess what’.”

“That’s exactly what someone who isn’t embarrassed to be a part of an awesome cheer squad would say.”

“I’m not embarrassed,” Josh groaned, lowering his voice. “Why would I be embarrassed to be a part of a kick-ass cheer squad?”

“I don’t know,” she crossed her arms and shot him a pointed look. “Why wouldn’t you tell your best friend?”

“Maybe you need to cool off a bit, Jess-”

“-actually,” Chris cleared his throat and stepped forward through a crowd, scuffing his shoes across the asphalt. “I was wondering the same thing.”

The other two fell silent and when Chris braved the chance to meet Josh’s eyes, he found his friend averting his gaze to the ground.

“Josh,” he tried, struggling to keep an even tone. “Can we talk for a second?”

Josh hummed in thought, a careless noise that set Chris’ nerves on edge. He gazed over at the field and shrugged.

“We’ll probably have to go out any minute – Jess, ow, what the hell?”

Jessica snatched the water out of Josh’s hands and took a few steps closer to Chris.

“We don’t actually need you out on the field until half-time, genius,” she tossed her hair over her shoulders and nodded to Chris. “Take your time alright? Really, just, nail into him. Throw a punch if you have to.”

Behind her, Josh was shaking his head, hands on his hips. Jessica gestured for the others to follow her out to the bleachers, calling over her shoulder.

“If you do punch him,” she added sweetly. “Make sure it’s not in the face, okay?”

Josh turned around to the refreshment stand when they were left alone, ordering a complimentary water. Chris wanted to give him credit for the fact that he legitimately acknowledged Chris’ presence and asked if he wanted anything.

Instead, he declined and watched Josh nervously tug at his straw. It was obvious to Chris that his friend felt trapped by the situation - and he never responded well to that kind of environment. He’d have to be the one to extend the olive branch.

“Wanna sit down somewhere?”

Something in Chris’ tone likely prevented what would have been a typical childish response by Josh. The other only nodded slowly and followed after him.

They ended up a way out from the field, which was still visible from where they’d hopped up on the tailgate of Mike Munroe’s truck. Josh insisted that Mike wouldn’t know - or hell, care - considering he was in the middle of an incredibly important football game.

Chris shrugged in response and they sat in a silence that was very occasionally interrupted by the excitement of said football match.

“’It’s not just good to be different,’” Chris recited after several minutes, gritting his teeth. “’it’s better to be different’. You know who says that?”

“I do,” Josh answered without hesitation, the corner of his mouth tugging up a little. “Gotta be honest, though, it’s lame as hell. Plus I got it off a speech by a guy from some prime time award show.”

“Whatever,” he sighed, forcing Josh’s to meet his gaze for one goddamn second. “You’re always the one going on about how I should be my nerdy old self, right?”

“I never lied to you, man-”

“-but you never told me,” Chris interrupted. “Which, I gotta admit, is a shitty thing to do. And it means you already decided how I would react.”

Josh didn’t respond, resumed staring down into the straw of his untouched drink. In the background, the home crowd screamed and the digital number adjacent to the ‘Titans’ rose a few points.

“How long?” Chris watched Josh slump out of the corner of his eye. “Josh, how long?”

Josh shook his head again, cursed to himself as he pulled the lid off of his drink and downed it.

“Six years,” he picked at the lip of the Styrofoam cup. “Give or take.”

“Six years,” Chris repeated, closing his eyes. “And everybody but me knows?”

“My, uh, my dad doesn’t,” Josh laughed, a hollow, humorless sound. “Not too keen on having that conversation with him anytime soon.”

“Senior year,” Chris felt exhausted at this point, not even angry. “I don’t get to know until our senior year because you thought - what? - that I’d react like your dad would? That you’d lose my respect or something?”

“I don’t know, man,” he could tell Josh was steeling himself for something. “People have their own opinions about that kind of thing. Stereotypes or whatever.”

“Really?” Chris’ furrowed his eyebrows. “You have got to be shitting me. You thought I would assume you were gay and drop you like a damn hot potato?”

Josh flinched, there was no disguising it. Chris wanted to pursue what that meant, but his friend was nudging his shoulder and grinning like it hadn’t happened.

“You wish,” he winked, but the usual impish glee wasn’t there. “Bro, I’m sorry, but you’ll be competing with me for the lovely ladies of the world’s attention for the rest of your miserable life.”

Chris had to let it go, because whatever there was left to learn about wasn’t worth the suffocating silence, because he felt inexplicably tired and Josh…

Behind the grin, Chris thought he saw it there, desperation peeking through the cracks, an entreaty for momentary peace. Even though he wanted to call his friend out on it, even though he wanted to press it further, he laughed instead.

“Sure,” he patted Josh’s knee, feigning consolation. “Say what you want, but once they find out Josh Washington, my best bro, is a cheerleader, they’ll all come running to me.”

Josh snorted.

“You don’t even know,” the grin back in full force, Josh ran his tongue across his top row of teeth. “Guy or girl, people dig cheerleaders. I’ll be the one hooking you up.”

“I do know, actually,” Chris knocked his shoulder against the other’s. “You looked really fucking cool out there.”

“Thanks, man.”

“I mean it.”

Josh ducked his head, palm pressed to the back of his neck. He didn’t look at Chris when he spoke next, his face turned toward the field.

“Come to practice sometime, okay? If you want.”

The game had gotten off to a late start and with autumn approaching, dusk descended upon them long before any clocks chimed eight. Because of this, Chris couldn’t be sure that Josh’s skin seemed suddenly a little darker around his ears.

He couldn’t exactly deny it either.

“Definitely,” Chris pulled his knees up to his chest, buried a grin in the denim of his jeans. “Got a lot of time to make up for, after all.”


End file.
